Some unexpected events are so powerful that they upend our daily lives and oblige us to adopt new rules of behavior, new ways of interacting with others, new styles of working. The COVID-19 outbreak definitely qualifies as one of the most shocking events of our time, a health emergency that’s putting us all to the test as individuals and as companies. But change can’t be stopped, so all we can do is react to overcome this by leveraging our extensive experience. We’ve got innovation and resilience in our DNA, which are two essential ingredients for coping with this immense challenge. Now more than ever acting fast is imperative to guarantee our elevated standards of operation and to produce the energy the world needs, but we need to do so while being careful to contain the spread of COVID-19 and the risks of contagion at our offices and plants. So, by adopting maximum safety measures and all of the smart-working tools at our disposition, we’re continuing to carry out our mission: supply essential services, provide electricity to every corner of the globe. Energy that sustains life From North America to Australia via Europe and Africa, Enel Green Power is working tirelessly to ensure that production of sustainable power does not stop and to guarantee the stability of the electric grid. To ensure service continuity during the health emergency, we’re using all the innovative digital tools that we’ve developed over the years. Today, they’re enabling us to be reactive, work efficiently, and remotely monitor plant activities in real-time, even during the delicate commissioning phase, when a plant is passed from the team that built it to those who will manage and maintain it. Metaphorically speaking, it’s the time before the concert begins when all the instruments are being tuned. One example comes from Spain, currently ranked third in the world after the US and Italy for the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases. We’re using remote monitoring there, which provides an instantaneous photo of what’s happening with production, thereby helping us prevent potential anomalies before they occur and to avoid stoppages at the plants. This hi-tech project enables Enel Green Power to keep up high-quality controls and monitoring and to optimize the performance of its sustainable plants at a time when our priority is to guarantee power to the people. “At the moment, our priority remains to supply electricity and we’re doing everything possible to do just that. We’ve changed many of our habits and are living with many restrictions and limitations, but we know that everything will work out all right if we dedicate ourselves to behaving as instructed. The Group has always had our backs, supporting us during difficult times like this one, and we’ve always come out stronger than before.” Simone Villani, Commissioning Leader EGP Wind Plants in Spain Safety is our priority “Work in the plants has changed a lot,” Goffredo Bruno, Commissioning Leader EGP in USA and Canada. We’ve applied social distancing measures, reduced the number of colleagues in the field, rescheduled shifts and remotely managed all the power stations’ activities for two reasons: to protect our colleagues’ health by limiting the risk of contagion and to guarantee electricity to many parts of the world. For example, only one foreman is onsite at all North American construction sites, supported by many colleagues working from home. “Thanks to the precautions and instructions given by Enel Group, my colleagues and I are connected every day and I’m always in contact with the Commissioning Managers working in the field so I can help them during this difficult time. They’re really doing great work!” Goffredo Bruno, Commissioning Leader EGP in USA and Canada To cope with the emergency and to avoid gatherings at the Castle Rock Ridge II and Riverview plants in Alberta, Canada, we’ve implemented innovative digital solutions to remotely monitor and support all commissioning tasks. Also, on the other side of the globe Australia is suffering from the spread of the Coronavirus. There, Enel Green Power is finishing construction of two solar plants, the Cohuna, in the state of Victoria, and Bungala, in the South Australia region. They are managing all operative tasks remotely and dealing with issues caused by the varying time zones for those working from the headquarters in Rome, in compliance with movement restrictions. “Enel has handled this unparalleled situation in a surprising way. The services provided enable us to simplify our lives and concentrate more on what matters most right now without putting our and our loved ones’ health and safety at risk.” Simone Zanot, Commissioning Leader EGP in Australia Enel Group is proving that it knows how to effectively handle the situation with determination. The initiatives it has implemented enable colleagues worldwide to reorganize their work lives, to keep in constant contact with each other and to concentrate on what matters most: health, safety and the continuity of the power supply. We can do it together! COVID-19 doesn’t recognize boundaries and has now spread to Africa. South Africa is currently the hardest hit country on the continent. Also in this case, innovation and safety are Enel Green Power’s most effective antidote. In South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, Enel Green Power is building the Nxuba wind farm, where we’re using digital platforms and software solutions to remotely monitor and support construction site and commissioning activities. This global emergency is shining the spotlight more than ever on our most valuable assets, people. Every day they give it their all, at the plants or at their homes, to achieve a common goal: to illuminate homes, hospitals and companies and to sustain everyone’s hopes with their energy.
